The usability and appeal of an electronic device can depend in large part upon the degree to which a user interface associated with the device is perceived as natural or intuitive. The user interface tends to act as a gateway through which a user interacts with the device, including the device's features, tools, and functions. Some conventional user interfaces include input devices utilizing mechanical pushbuttons, for example, that can be associated with particular functionality when pressed.
Pushbuttons can provide a natural and intuitive mechanism by which a user may provide input to a device, but they can also be inflexible. For instance, pushbuttons integrated into the physical make-up of a device tend to have fixed locations and orientations relative to the device. Additionally, the location and orientation of any graphics, such as labels, associated with the pushbuttons also tend to be fixed relative to the device.
As electronic devices evolve, they tend to decrease in size and provide increased functionality. However, the development of user interfaces to support such advances can be constrained by the physical limitations of the associated input devices.